There can be few growers who don’t believe that the climate is changing. Anyone who grows crops has seen unprecedented conditions over the last five to ten years, whether that’s high temperatures, drought, severe frosts, wet winters, high summer rainfall or crops and plants growing or maturing at unexpected times of the year, such as earlier flowering.
The weather has always presented the biggest challenge to farmers and growers, and there have certainly been exceptional weather events before (as anyone who remembers the summer of 1976 will remind you). However, what the meteorologists and climate scientists tell us, and what we increasingly see in the field, is that these extreme events are becoming more frequent and that the hottest temperature is a degree of two warmer, and the wettest winter has a few extra millimetres of precipitation.
The prediction is that in general terms most of the UK will experience warmer, wetter winters and drier summers, although within those summers, rainfall events will be more extreme – so we may actually see more localised flooding for example.
For some time, we have also wondered what the effects will be on crop pests and diseases. For example, will warmer winters result in higher levels of over-wintered species leading to higher pest pressure in early spring, and will migratory species become established in the British Isles?
The news that Colorado Potato beetles have been found in Kent and Hampshire does not immediately prove that UK growers will have to start managing this destructive pest, but it certainly means that growers and agronomists should be more vigilant going forward. While the Hampshire case involved a single live adult, the colony of larvae in Kent suggests that the pest is capable of breeding in the warmer weather we are seeing.
Isolated beetles are sometimes found on imported crops and are swiftly dealt with, but this is the first time there have been pest outbreaks in the UK since 1976 and 1977. Growers and agronomists will be hoping that these recent discoveries are not the start of a new long-term trend.
There are many different options to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one of which is to rewet and restore peat soils and wetlands, including lowland peat soils in the Fens and the Lancashire moss lands. While there is no doubt that doing so can bring benefits in terms of carbon sequestration and wildlife biodiversity, the fact that these areas have been used for highly productive agriculture since they were drained is bound to create conflict, especially at a time when a growing population needs to be fed.
Most trials of paludiculture (farming in wetlands) focus on alternative crops such as sphagnum moss or reeds. However, the sheer productivity of peat soils in terms of food production cannot be discounted by policymakers and the Lowland Peat Taskforce is right to stress that ‘trials should prioritise food crops over other crops.’
Many growers are already engaging with the different stakeholders looking at how we can rewet peat soils and their input will be vital if we are to maintain agricultural and horticultural production while also reducing the loss of carbon.
The August issue also includes articles on:
- SFI – Update on sustainable farming incentive
- Potato – focusing on key challenges
- IPM – Integrated into production
- Brassica – Cover crop key to strip brassicas
- Machinery – Cereals visitors brave the heat
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